Kontact: The Road Ahead Band Launch 2018

Oh how it rained on Kontact’s parade when they held their band launch last Friday at the Barbados Museum. It started with intermittent drizzles here and there that didn’t deter those in attendance from holding onto their chosen spots as they waited for the costume presentation to begin.

Unfortunately, it eventually rained too heavily for patrons and media personnel alike to ignore and everyone had to flee for shelter. About two or three times. The heaviest downpour came right in the middle of the presentation and everything had to be halted and for quite some time at that. Not once, but twice. That wasn’t at all Kontact’s fault however. They can’t control the weather.

Perhaps what Kontact should have done, however, was not have a finale until all of the costumes came out, because some people left after the finale for the sections costumes and before the individual costumes came out.

The models didn’t execute the choreographed parts of the showcase very well; they weren’t very in sync, fairly uncoordinated and not to mention stiff and lacking rhythm in the case of one model. The choreography itself was nice, though. When the models were just doing their own thing, “freestyling” if you will, especially when it came time for them to wuk up and whine, they were excellent. Especially the frontline model for Envy.

They brought the dibbiness that one expects – maybe even needs – when it comes to band launches. After all, they do – or at least should – set the tone as to what to expect from the band when they’re on the road for Kadooment.

These models had the liveliness that Krave’s models had lacked, but Krave’s models had what Kontact’s didn’t and that was looking like real, actual, models in their performances. Kontact’s models looked very green, like they weren’t professional models at all. I got the impression that they were there to dance/be dancers more than model and that’s perfectly fine. That being said, having models that can actually model does elevate the showcase to a significant degree.

The models do deserve a lot of credit for not one of them falling on stage. The thing was soaking wet. Extra credit goes to the models in the Dreamers section for continuing to perform even when the rain poured down so heavily that the audience ran for shelter. They did not look bothered at all, they continued doing their job and must be commended.

The stagehands deserve credit as well, fighting a losing battle with the insistent rain in trying to dry off the stage pretty much every time it came down. There was no drying that stage. At all. But they tried their best.

Kontact’s costume offerings this year are lovely. That being said, for the most part they don’t really move me. With the exceptions of the front and backlines of Mysteries of Time, all of the Bacchanal section, the entirety of Serenity and the Miss Mischief individual costume.

Mysteries of Time’s frontline costume is notable because it’s a frontline costume that doesn’t have a giant plume of feathers. Instead it has a cape. It’s highly impractical because it will be trampled on and likely torn during the jump on Kadooment day, but this is one of those times when fashion over practicality applies. It’s a very simple costume in that it doesn’t have two dozen straps criss-crossing everywhere or enough bling to be seen from Mars, and yet it’s a very beautiful costume that is effective in its simplicity. Furthermore, the vibrant green, blue and pink are very striking with the black.

There isn’t much that I don’t like about the backline option. The choker, the chains, the feathers, the print on the bodysuit. I love them all. My only thing is that it doesn’t look like it’s related to the frontline costume. There isn’t a continuity between the two. The feathers don’t even look to be the same colours, but that may just be the photos that they put on their Instagram.

Bacchanal doesn’t have a continuity problem, however. The fabric that is used in the frontline costume is used in the backline and male costumes as straps that accentuate them. The backline is fairly basic when it comes to Kadooment costumes, but the colour is what really makes it come alive. This section is my favourite because of the colour and I don’t even really like orange. The green, purple, pink and yellow go so well with it and it’s such an appealing shade of orange that it’s aesthetically pleasing. Here too the frontline is an an example of effective simplicity.

The same can’t be said of the male costume for this section. It’s actually quite elaborate compared to the other male costumes (except the one in Dreamers) and what male costumes usually look like in general. One could argue that the designer gave male customers fourteen arm bands instead of just two, but it’s not your typical shorts with two arm and leg bands each. In fact, there aren’t any leg bands. There’s an actual piece that comes with the costume.

The colours used in the Serenity costumes may not be as vibrant as those in most of the other costumes, but the work very well together. The costumes also have a regality to them. The design on the frontline is exquisite and the sleeves really make that costume in particular. Across all of the costumes in this section, the applique gives a subtle, tasteful hint of bling.

Miss Mischief has everything including the kitchen sink. There’s just so much; beads, fringe, rhinestones, chains…and it isn’t a mess.It’s an example of doing a lot and not getting lost to chaos.

Watch our highlight reel below and head over to our Facebook page for photos. Follow us there and on Instagram for more!

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An avid reader who accidentally discovered her love and talent for writing and has loved movies for as long as she has been watching them. Stumbled into film-making and found her second love because she decided to read for a degree in it on a whim - kind of.